Ferragamo

Independent Minds: Salvatore Ferragamo, Viesca Toscana

Fashion meets farmhouse chic in the Ferragamo family’s holiday home turned tranquil Tuscan retreat

The Ferragamo name is known the world over as a symbol of Italian luxury, ever since Wanda Ferragamo transformed her husband’s shoe-making company into the global fashion house that it is today. As the family holiday home where Wanda, Salvatore, and their six children spent summer days and long weekends soaking up the Tuscan countryside, Viesca Toscana holds a special place in the heart of Salvatore Ferragamo, grandson of the Salvatore who gave his name to the brand. Transformative projects clearly run in the family, as Salvatore recently stepped into his grandparents’ shoes to renovate and run the estate as an exclusive collection of villas and suites for travellers in search of the true Tuscany.

 

When my grandparents bought the estate, they occupied the main house while farmers still lived in the surrounding casolari – typical Tuscan farmhouses – so there was this wonderful community spirit about the place.

Do you have a vision for the future of the hotel?

The history of the Viesca area stretches back to Roman times, and the estate itself has passed through the hands of the Counts Guidi in 1200, the Medici-Tornaquinci and Martelli families at the end of 1700, and finally to my family in the 1950s who transformed the manor house and neighbouring farmhouses into a private residence through careful architectural restoration. Over time, we have also collected more than 300 agricultural objects and work tools from pastoral families who have lived and worked in Viesca, along with art pieces, to be displayed in our Agricultural Museum which tell the story of rural Tuscan life. We hope to continue to preserve and protect these Tuscan traditions for generations to come.

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